It may not be the case everywhere, but in Orlando and surrounding areas, not too many above-ground swimming pools get taken down and moved to be reinstalled.
During my 38 years of installing above-ground pools in Orlando, Orange County, and most of Central Florida, I have installed about 7 thousand pools. Out of them, maybe only a couple hundred were used pools that were moved from one location to another.
I do install a few used pools every year though and I do transport some of them from their original install spot to the new one.
WHAT IS NEEDED TO MOVE AN ABOVE-GROUND POOL IN ORLANDO
Some of the parts of an above-ground pool are bulky and can be very heavy, so don’t think you can transport one by yourself using the trunk of your Prius. The following basic things are needed to move an AG pool.
1 Pick-up truck or van
At the very least, a small pick-up is needed to move a pool. In some cases, two or more trips will be needed depending on the pool’s size, shape, and which accessories are going with it.
2 At least two people
The frame of the pool comes in pieces and one person can make several trips to stack them on the truck, but the pool’s wall is one piece, bulky, and very heavy. It will need two people to move.
Also, depending on which ladder or steps the pool has, you may need two people to move it. And if it has a sand-type filter, it will be hard to move and very heavy. Usually too heavy for just one person.
3 A hand truck or dolly
Again, this is needed to move the wall, pump and filter, and maybe the ladder/steps of the pool.
A hand truck will come in handy too for the leveling blocks and any patio stones that are going with the pool.
4 Duct tape or bungee cord
This is to keep the wall of the pool in a tight roll during transportation.
5 Ratchet straps and/or bungee cords
For securing and tying down the pool to the truck so nothing flies out during transport.
6 Organizational skills
Above-ground pools have a lot of parts both big and small. Just throwing everything in the back of the truck is a recipe for losing something along the journey.
Probably the biggest issue I have with re-installing an above-ground pool is that some parts are missing. And with an above-ground pool, you can’t just get a missing part at Home Depot.
They are ultra-specific to their model, so if something is missing, it almost always has to be ordered from the maker. Not good.
Also, the ladder/steps and pool equipment are bulky. Not organizing them in the truck for the journey (on I-4) can end badly.
7 For oval pools, a trailer
Oval above-ground pools have a lot more parts than round-shaped ones do including buttresses.
Buttresses have to be assembled when installing an above-ground pool, but they don’t have to be disassembled when re-installing a pool.
So, when moving an oval pool, you most likely want to keep the buttresses assembled for the trip. And they are big and bulky.
This is where having a trailer to move them comes into play. Most oval pools have around six buttresses, so not having a trailer can result in you having to make several trips.
And if the pool’s destination is say from Kissimmee to Winter Springs, then you’ll want to make the least amount of trips possible.
Of course, it would be great to have a trailer to move a round pool too.
8 A good place to store the pool (at the new location)
If you are moving an above-ground pool and planning to install it at a later date, make sure that you have a good storage place for it.
Just placing the used above-ground pool in the corner of the garage (with everything else) until you’re ready to put it up is a bad idea.
Pool parts just thrown together in a pile until an undetermined install date can very easily grow legs and walk, never to be found again.
COST TO HAVE AN ABOVE-GROUND POOL MOVED IN ORLANDO
In most cases, a pool guy like me is moving a pool along with taking it down and re-installing it at the new location. This will allow me to charge less for transportation because I’m making money taking it down and putting it back up.
I have only moved a pool before though. For that, the cost depends on the size of the pool and how far I have to take it.
Since I’m out of Orlando, if the pool that needs moving is somewhere within Orlando, like Pine Hills for example. And if it is a round pool that only needs to go a mile or two away, then it would cost about $200 for me to move it.
Now, If we are talking about a big oval that has to move from Clermont to Oviedo, then it could be $500 or more to move it (of course using my trailer in one trip).
NOTE: If I am taking down, re-installing the pool, or both, then the price to transport it would be less.
TYPICALLY, POOL DECKS WITH ABOVE GROUND POOLS DON’T GET MOVED
Here in Orlando, many above-ground pools have decks with them. Decks though are a completely different animal to take apart and move, so in most cases, the deck stays where it is.